Alabama lawmakers will vote next month on whether to prohibit a judge from imposing a death sentence when a jury has recommended life imprisonment.

The Alabama House of Representatives is scheduled to debate the bill on April 4 when lawmakers return from a two-week spring break. The Senate has already approved the measure. The bill is third on the proposed debate agenda for the day.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to hear Thomas Arthur’s challenge to Alabama's execution method, prompting liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor to assert that the court should have considered whether the lethal injection procedures amounted to unconstitutional cruel and unusual punishment. This is bad news indeed!

Esther attended the SOS meeting in Selma. “Saving OurSelves - SOS: A Movement for Justice & Democracy” describes itself as a movement rather than an organization and we are grateful and proud to be one of the 40 plus organizations associated with it. We appreciated being given the opportunity to raise our issue and are very grateful to Senator Hank Sanders who once more pre-filed his 5 bills, as he has for so many years, addressing capital punishment.

Last week Anthony Tyson who had been the acting Chairman officially became the Chairman of our organization. Bart Johnson moved up to the position of Vice-Chair. Jeffery Lee is now our Secretary/Treasurer, Jessie Phillips is our Coordinator, Anthony Boyd because he is a master at keeping order remained in the important position of Sergeant at Arms and Randy Lewis carries on as our Information Director. These are all important positions with their specific duties.

Yesterday faith leaders and members of the anti-death penalty group Abolitionist Action Committee (AAC) convened at the U.S. Supreme Court to mark the 40th anniversary of the first modern death penalty execution. We thank them for their commitment and a special thanks to the “more than a dozen” who were arrested.